


A Difficult Rebirth

by lavery



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Monster!Renee, altered timeline, renee joins the foxes at the same time as the cousins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-16 16:07:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18694834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavery/pseuds/lavery
Summary: "Renee hadn’t been sure what to make of her place on the Foxes. She remembered Dan from their matches against each other in high school and had read up on the rest of the team, they all seemed too different from her but since she figured she’d never fit in anyway she may as well join. Andrew Minyard was not different from her."Renee joins the foxes a few years late and becomes one of Andrew Minyard's Monsters.





	A Difficult Rebirth

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea that wouldn't leave me alone, I wrote it in about two hours so there may be mistakes.

Dan couldn’t believe it. She’d just managed to escape the dying corner of the world where she had grown up, finally free from her aunt and her old coach and the snotty nosed exy players from the rival school. Her year as the Foxes captain had been the freest one in a long time, almost everyone on the team was an asshole but Allison, her roommate, had proved to be less annoying than Dan had predicted. Seth, Allison's boyfriend, was as much of an asshole as the rest of his friends but seemed to tone it down to stay in Allison's good books. Matt was different; he seemed nice but was quiet and easily beaten down by the rest of the team. He’d spent most of the last year sleeping on Dan and Allison’s bedroom floor.   
Which was why Wymack's announcement was like a smack to the face. As if the criminal cousins they had signed to boost their defence line weren’t enough Wymack was signing the goalie with rainbow hair that had destroyed Dan’s high school’s chances of getting through in Dan’s senior year. Dan had always assumed she had parents to pay for her exy gear and make dinner and go to her games but if Wymack was signing her he had to have some reason, not that he would tell them.   
\---  
The first day back after the summer break was a train wreck. It didn’t start that way. The freshman seemed to be taking their sweet time arriving. Rainbow bright arrived first and introduced herself as Renee Walker. Her hair was still chin length with the bottom two inches dip dyed in every colour imaginable. Her face, which Dan had only seen behind a bulky helmet, was utterly blank even as she introduced herself. She was wearing a knee length skirt peach skirt with a crisp white blouse tucked in and a crucifix necklace rested between her collar bones. She perched herself on one of the two empty chairs and studied the team with cold, unreadable eyes. Ten minutes later two of the cousins entered, one was tall with dark skin and curly hair and a shirt that read ‘Lets get one thing straight - I’m not’ his shit eating grin said he knew exactly what he was doing. The twin with him seemed bored which meant it was Aaron, Dan hadn’t forgotten or forgiven what he’d said about the Foxes last time they’d met. Nicky surveyed the outraged looks on the rest of the teams faces then turned to Dan with a cheerful grin. One of the team managed to untie their tongue,  
“Coach never told us you were a faggot.”   
“Shut up. That’s enough.” Dan said levelling a glare at Juan. When she looked back at Nicky, he was still smiling but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.   
“Don’t worry about it, cap. Can’t take all of what those assholes say to heart otherwise I’d just be miserable all the time.” Aaron was still looking at Juan, he wasn’t frowning but he didn’t look friendly.   
Juan spluttered, “What did you just say?”   
“He called you an asshole, asshole.” Said Aaron calmly.   
“This is Aaron.” Nicky gestured with an arm half covered with bracelets. “He’s honest and sometimes a bit rude.” They both turned and surveyed Renee.   
“Hello.” Said Nicky. “You weren’t mentioned.”   
“Renee Walker, goalkeeper.” Aaron raised an eyebrow and turned to Dan.  
“I thought you signed Andrew as a goalkeeper.”   
“Yeah as a sub but our last goalie fucked off so we needed Renee as well.” She could feel Renee’s eyes on her and wondered if she remembered Dan and if she could hear the hypocrisy in her voice.   
“Huh.” Said Aaron turning back to Renee. He and Nicky moved to hover behind the second chair. Nicky had been eyeing Matt for a while and Dan could feel herself bristling. Nicky said something in German and Aaron snapped back at him, both of them turned to stare at Matt again who shifted in discomfort.   
“Was that German?” He stuttered out, not meeting their eyes.   
“Yeah,” Said Nicky leering. “Got to keep up the practice now that I'm back in the states, are you good with your tongue? You could help.” He winked which Dan found ridiculous. She still slipped her fingers between his and squeezed. Nicky smiled again, this time it was much warmer. “Don’t worry, I’m already spoken for. Still nice to look.” He winked at Dan this time. “Good taste.” Dan had to fight a smile; Nicky was harmless.   
Andrew had entered the room without anyone noticing. He was wearing a full sleeved shirt and jeans with a hat pulled low over his forehead, all in black despite the summer heat. The perpetual Glasgow grin was carved onto his face but his eyes were serious. He was looking at Renee. Nicky and Aaron flitted their gazes between the two of them, apparently seeing something the rest of them couldn’t. Andrew muttered something in German then moved across the room and flung himself into the vacant chair, weighted gaze still heavy on Renee. Renee watched back with no expression on her face.   
The exchange seemed disproportionally intense but had affected the rest of the team. The room was blanketed in a heavy silence watching their new goalkeepers face off. It was interrupted by Wymack’s entrance who seemed to gauge the room instantly. And then ignore it.   
“You’re late.” He told the cousins and then launched into his spiel about academic probation without waiting for an explanation. Seth protested about Nicky and was exiled to Coach’s office, Nicky and Andrew had a tense exchange in German after Nicky claimed he wouldn’t mind changing at a different time.  
Andrew had his physical done first, Seth was second by order of Wymack then Aaron and Nicky shoved to the front of the metaphorical queue. Renee went after them and the three cousins seemed to be waiting for her.   
“You’re riding to the dorms with us.” Andrew informed her cheerfully. She raised one eyebrow seemingly unbothered and they exited, Andrew letting Renee precede him out of the room with an over the top gesture. She finally cracked a smirk at that.   
\---  
By the time Dan, Allison and Matt arrived back in their suite Renee had clearly already been. Her suitcase was dumped in a corner of the bedroom but she didn’t seem to have claimed a bed. Or brought anything else. Allison made a noise of disgust. They helped Matt unload his stuff from his truck into his suite and then he helped them set up their own suite. Renee still hadn’t made an appearance. On their final trip up the stairs they met Andrew and Renee on the stairs. Andrew looked the same as he had that morning but Renee had changed into black skinny jeans, a black tank top and leather jacket. Andrew last dose must have been wearing off because his blank face now matched Renee's; neither of them said a word as they passed. Once they were back in their room, they heard the rev of an engine and watched as the GS that must belong to Andrew scream out of the parking lot.   
\---  
Over the next few weeks they only saw Renee at practice and sometimes in the mornings, the rest of the time she spent in the cousins – now dubbed ‘The Monsters’ – suite. It was for that reason that dan was surprised to receive an invitation from Renee to go out with them that Friday night in Columbia. Apparently, the cousins owned a house there and knew the best places to go. If they had started building bridges Dan wasn’t going to be the one to set fire to them, and a night out was a night out even it was with, as Allison called them, the team psychos.   
The next day all dan remembered was going to a place called sweeties for ice cream, which seemed quite tame, and then a club. She’d drunk more than she was used to but from what she remembered she’d had a good time. Nicky and, surprisingly, Aaron were good dancers and the cousin’s sofa had been relatively comfortable when she’d woken up. Renee was making herself a cup of tea when Dan had dragged herself into the kitchen and she even smiled at Dan.   
“Feeling alright? You were pretty out of it when we got in last night.” She smiled again, slightly impishly.   
Dan laughed, “Yeah, haven’t been that bad for a while. Nothin’ I can’t handle.” Dan considered her next words carefully. “So…”   
“Are you going to start apologizing for our high school rivalry? If you are; don’t bother. It’s what got me here.” Dan’s confusion clearly showed. “When Wymack scouted you he also noticed me; came to see me and told me that he’d sign me as well. He didn’t know I wasn’t a senior so he came back this year with a contract. So really I should be thanking you.” Renee explained.  
“Huh.” Dan said eloquently.   
Nicky breezed into the kitchen chattering about his hangover and how only his breakfast burritos could save them, he set the coffee to brew and then started to make them. Andrew wandered in, took a mug of coffee, filled it with too much sugar and too much milk and then wandered back out again with a nod to Renee. Aaron wandered in just as Nicky served, gave a grunt of thanks and then didn’t say a word as he drank his coffee and ate his breakfast. He left as soon he was finished and when Dan looked at Nicky his eyes were strained.   
Dan decided that any family issues were none of her business as long as they didn’t affect the team.   
\---  
Seeing Matt slurring incoherently in his mother’s arms on Abby’s couch made Dan want to kill Andrew. The only thin that stopped her was Randy’s announcement that Andrew had told her the plan and that she’d given her permission, she still wanted to punch him. When he arrived, it looked like someone had already taken care of that. Dan wondered if it was Seth or Allison before Renee came in behind him in the same state.   
“We’ve come to see how Matt’s doing.” She announced to the room.   
“Like you care.” Spat Dan. She was sure Renee had known what was happening and hadn’t lifted a finger to stop it. Although given their bruises maybe that wasn’t the case.   
Renee turned her dark stare on Dan. “I know how hard withdrawal can be. I’ve come to see if I can help.” She addressed this part to Abby and Betsy.  
“Maybe in a few days.” Abby bit her lip, looking at Matt’s shaking form. “Once the drugs are out of his system.”   
Renee nodded. Randy had watched the exchange and turned to Andrew,   
“You’re Andrew?” At his nod she carried on. “Thank you, I wish he’d told me he was slipping. Hopefully this’ll stop him for good.” Dan didn’t believe Andrew's motives were altruistic but she couldn’t see any reasons for his actions.  
Renee and Andrew left when dan started to move around again.   
\---  
True to her word Renee showed up three days later and took Matt to the gym. He looked much better when he came back, apparently Renee had sparred him and told him that she and Andrew sparred every Sunday in the tower’s basement study rooms; which explained the bruises.   
\---  
Renee hadn’t been sure what to make of her place on the Foxes. She remembered Dan from their matches against each other in high school and had read up on the rest of the team, they all seemed too different from her but since she figured she’d never fit in anyway she may as well join. Andrew Minyard was not different from her.   
They’d recognised that as soon as they’d met, Andrew was protective of his, as she soon found out, newly found family and had correctly assessed her as a threat. Living with Stephanie hadn’t changed her that much, she badly wanted to believe she could be a good person and forgiven for her past but she didn’t think it was that simple. She lover her adopted mother but there was only so much you could change about a person like her in two years. Andrew’s family had recognized her demeanour as the one Andrew had before he’d been put on his drugs.   
Renee told Andrew enough that he knew she wasn’t a threat. He seemed to have decided that she was one of his now, she wasn’t going to dispute that. Andrew was easily bored on his meds and seemed to find her interesting, she thought he was interesting too but quickly cleared any misconceptions he may have of them being together. He had given her a flat look and said   
“You’re not the only not straight person in here.” Which was comforting.   
The cousins went out drinking and dancing and sometimes took a little something extra every weekend. Andrew didn’t make her participate if she didn’t want to even before she told him the whole truth. When she did his face of calm indifference kept her relaxed, his memory surprised her when he pointed out the problem of age in her story. He took that explanation with nothing except a slow, cat-like blink. Andrew convinced her to spar with him, pointing out that you could only protect people if your skills were sharp.   
He was good but she was better. He stole her knives out of their box and told her to teach him how to use them. She agreed, because he was right and secretly, she had missed the feel of bruises aching and the adrenalin rush it gave her.   
The monsters, as the team had started calling them, were actually very domestic in Renee's opinion. Nicky cooked dinner, Andrew ate ice cream, Aaron studied his pre-med books in surly silence and they all played video games together. It was very obvious that Nicky had raised the twins over the last few years, he had a motherly demeanour and took their shit with a bright smile. Renee had had enough.   
She cornered Aaron in full view of Andrew so he knew she wasn’t hurting him and told him very clearly that he had better start respecting Nicky and all the work he put in to look after him when he could have happily stayed in Germany far away from the family that had hurt him, almost irreparably. Aaron had hissed that he wasn’t going to do anything because Andrew's girlfriend told him to. Renee had told him she was a lesbian and mist definitely not Andrew's girlfriend. Aaron’s attitude to her had thawed considerably after that.   
That was how Andrew came to explain his deal with Aaron. It was a very convoluted explanation that she suspected she wasn’t supposed to work out but she was smarter that Andrew gave her credit for. She thought it was a rather short-sighted deal and had told Andrew as much but he had just breather smoke in her face.   
\---  
When they had brought Dan to Columbia it had been pretty good fun. Dan had seemed to have a good time and had happily drunk everything bought for her by Andrew from his bar keeper ‘friend’ and had happily chattered about everything Andrew had asked about. As a bonus she didn’t even seem to have a hangover and hadn’t complained at all. She’d even stopped sending Renee dark looks when she thought Renee couldn’t see her.   
Matt was a different story. Renee could read the signs in his behaviour easily, mostly from personal experience. The others on the team weren’t very good at hiding their drug habits and the fact that Matt had migrated to the girl’s bedroom floor didn’t leave much up for interpretation. The fact that Andrew wanted to do something about it was surprising. She knew he didn’t care about the team or the championship so it wasn’t coming from a place of camaraderie. She should have guessed it was about Aaron. Almost everything Andrew did was about Aaron, even if he couldn’t see it.   
The fact that Matt’s mother had agreed to this was also surprising. Matt gave in almost immediately. He was very difficult to manoeuvre into the car.   
\---  
Everyone noticed how much better Matt was, even if they were unwilling to admit it. The upperclassman made no effort to hide their hatred for the ‘monsters’ apparently the last goalie had been their friend and they weren’t willing to cooperate with the defence line at all. Luckily, they were strikers and Dan and Allison were dealers so it didn’t affect their plays much. Dan and Allison were still angry about Columbia but seemed to think that Renee had objected and stuck up for Matt because of how bruised Andrew had been. Renee was just a better fighter.  
\---  
Renee was enjoying her time on the foxes. They were doing well in the season and it looked like they would be going through to spring championships. Renee had friends for possibly the first time ever since Dan and Allison had started inviting her to do things under the pretence that as women in a male dominated sport, they had to show a united front. Renee liked them both much more than she thought possible.  
Then Kevin Day showed up on their bus at the winter banquet with his left hand soaked in blood.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a comment or come n chat to me on tumblr @onfoxhills :)


End file.
